


The Eternal Game

by Mystic_Harley



Category: Homestuck, Problem Sleuth (Webcomic)
Genre: Board Games, Crossover, Fluff, Gen, Handmaid gets her happy ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-26
Updated: 2019-11-26
Packaged: 2021-02-26 02:14:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,318
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21565942
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mystic_Harley/pseuds/Mystic_Harley
Summary: In the middle of a one-sided game, a strange young woman quite literally drops into Death's domain and a wonderful relationship is born.
Relationships: The Handmaid & Death
Comments: 1
Kudos: 16





	The Eternal Game

It had been a long time since Death had last gotten a proper visitor. Having to reluctantly play host to the most unscrupulous of guests with the Mobster Kingpin didn’t help matters either, especially since he had to block the door just to stop the asshole from escaping.   
  
So it was quite a surprise when a young woman, with pale grey skin, a beautiful flowing red dress, and two gigantic yellow horns quite literally dropped in during the middle of a one-sided game of Scrabble. Death and the Mobster Kingpin looked at each other in confusion before the woman groaned and pushed herself up. “Where… where am I?” She asked.   
  
“You’re in Death’s domain.” Death replied easily, since it was true. They were in his domain.    
  
The young woman looked at Death,  _ really _ looked at him for the first time and her soft red eyes widened in recognition. She stood slowly, so she and Death were eye level. “It’s you.” She said quietly, moving her hand up as if to touch his bony face before retracting it. A level of reverence in her tone made Death want to blush if he were capable of it. “It’s really you. Death.”   
  
“Yes. That’s me. Death.” Death said, the table and scrabble game having seemingly vanished to accommodate the young woman. “What’s your name?”   
  
She frowned at that question, looking down at the floor. “...I don’t know. I’ve been called many things. Damara, Handmaiden, Demoness.” The woman with many names looked up at Death curiously. “Which one do you think fits me?”   
  
Death hadn’t expected this kind of question. After all it was strange enough that someone had more than one name. He pondered over this strange conundrum before he looked at her curiously. “Why don’t we play a game to decide your name? Ignore him, by the way.” He gestured to the sulking mob boss in the corner. “He’s a spoilsport.”   
  
They had dithered a while to figure out what game would be appropriate to determine the woman’s name, but they had finally decided on a variation of scrabble: Scrabble Jousting. The rules were simple, both he and the grey woman would pony up and try to spear the letters that made out the three names. Whichever person spelled out one name first, was the winner. And therefore got to pick her name by process of lance-tip.   
  
It had taken several hours of horsing around and lancing around until Death ultimately won the showdown and had speared the name ‘Damara’ on his glorious black instrument of death. The mob boss was still sulking in the corner but he seemed oddly quiet now that a third party was amongst their little shindig.    
  
Having decided that her name would now be Damara, Death and her settled down in the room for refreshments. She blinked owlishly as Death got up and starting fixing them snacks. “Do you need my help?”   
  
“Help? Goodness no! You’re my guest, as the host it’s my job to give the refreshments.” Death tittered about, a tea tray appearing in his bony and skeletal hands before looking at Damara curiously. “How do you like your tea?”   
  
She opened her mouth, then closed it with a frown. The alien woman stared at her grey hands curiously, before looking back up at Death. “I don’t know. I’ve never been asked before. How many kinds of tea do you have?”   
  
“Goodness that’s a good question. I never bothered to check, I could have loads, I could have only one. Why don’t we make it a game out of it? If I win a game, I get to pick the tea. If you win, you get to pick the tea.”   
  
Damara considered the rules of this peculiar game for a moment, cocking her head to the side like a curious animal before giving a small noise. “Okay, that sounds fine. Since you won the name-game though, that means you get first pick.”   
  
As Death started preparing the tea and snacks, Damara turned her attention to the Mobster Kingpin sulking in the corner. “Why don’t you want to play? It seems harmless enough.”   
  
The mobster scowled, but didn’t reply. He had better things to do than to humor some little girl’s stupid questions.    
  
But Damara was far from a little girl. She narrowed her eyes at him, already able to discern what kind of person he usually was. As such, though, he wasn’t worth anymore of her time. She turned back to Death as he set the tea tray down. “Thank you, Death.” She replied cordially, taking the tea and blowing on it softly.    
  
Death squirmed a little in delight. He had never had a guest be so… so  _ nice _ before. Most just wanted to leave immediately but she didn’t seem keen on that. She didn’t know that she couldn’t leave though, and the thought made him a little uneasy. Should he tell her? Would that spoil all the fun they could have together?   
  
No, it was best to be honest. She would start asking eventually and if Death didn’t say anything, the party pooper sure would. He sat down, plucking a little sandwich up from the tray. “I have to warn you, you can’t leave anymore. I’ve had to block the door to keep him.” He indicated said party pooper. “From escaping and causing more chaos. I’m… I’m afraid that if you wanted to leave, well…” He gave a helpless shrug.   
  
Damara stared at him as if the mere idea of leaving never even occurred to her mind. She looked genuinely and truly gobsmacked and bewildered at his sad demeanor. “Why would I want to leave?” She asked him incredulously. “This? This is heaven for me. Being here with you, with Death. It’s what I’ve wanted my whole life.” There was a sadness tinting her smile, as she sipped her tea. “In time, perhaps, I’ll tell you all about it. Maybe we can make a game out of it.”   
  
If it were possible, Death would be crying now. No one had ever wanted to stay with him, ever  _ willingly _ would play his many and endless games with him. But now he had someone, a companion of sorts. No, companion wasn’t the right word.   
  
Yes, Damara was his friend, if she permitted it. And he would be honored to be hers. “Yes… a game. And I can tell you all of the mess about him.” He indicated the sulking pooper. “It’s quite the story, and we have all the time in the world.”   
  
There was a shy smile from Damara, and she sipped her tea and munched on her finger foods.”Yes, I suppose we do.” She glanced over his shoulder, towards his shelf. “What game is that? It says…” She squinted at the unfamiliar words and letters. “Mon..opo..ly…”   
  
The skeleton smiled, getting up and carefully slotting the board game out of its place and setting it down on the table. “It’s called Monopoly. Why don’t I teach you?” He glanced over at the Mobster Kingpin. “Even he would actually be decent at this game.”   
  
Damara glanced over at him. Even though she knew what kind of man he was, he was stuck here with her. He couldn’t hurt her if he wanted too, and she suspected that she was unable to do the same to him. Whether they liked it or not, they were stuck with Death together.   
  
“Would you like to play then? It must be boring sulking there.”   
  
Amazingly, the Mobster Kingpin bristled before sighing in defeat. “Fine. But only because yer yappin would be even more annoying.”   
  
He sat down at the table and Death offered him some tea and snacks. He took the little cup with his big sausage fingers and sipped on it politely, watching with careful and skeptical eyes as the game got set up.   
  
Death looked around the table. “So, who wants what piece?”

**Author's Note:**

> I've been meaning to get around to this for ages. Handmaid has always been a death-seeker and I decided to take that to a more literal conclusion with Death from Problem Sleuth. They would be so sweet together.


End file.
